Russia insists on retaining veto right in UN Security Council — diplomat

MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/. Moscow insists on retaining the veto right in the UN Security Council, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Thursday.

"Another important aspect is retaining the veto right of five permanent members of the UN Security Council," Gatilov said. "[Others] criticizes us a lot, want to cancel the veto right," he added.

The French president’s initiative on restricting the veto right is not welcomed by Moscow, Gatilov noted. "We consider such ideas harmful," he stressed.

"We insist on retaining prerogatives of the [UN] permanent members and their powers," the deputy foreign minister said. "We consider the veto power not as a benefit, but as great responsibility," he added.

Meanwhile, the diplomat noted that Moscow will support reforming the United Nations organization and its Security Council if it meets the interests of most UN member-countries.

"Reforming the UN has been discussed since the day the organization was created," Gatilov said. "The organization should adequately reflect the balance of power in the world and changes on the world’s political map," he added.

"[We are talking] not only about the expansion of the UN Security Council, but also about making the system of the Organization more effective," the deputy foreign minister said. "However, there is no common understanding about the model that will be taken for reforming the UN Security Council, for expanding it," he noted.

The opinions on this issue are divided, Gatilov said. The first group of countries, which includes Germany, Japan, Brazil and India, advocates expanding the number of UN Security Council permanent members. "In this, they see a ‘registration’ in the UN SC," the diplomat noted.

Another group of countries - Italy, Pakistan and Mexico - calls for increasing the number of non-permanent UN SC members with a possibility of reelection, Gatilov said. "They want non-permanent members to be reelected for four, six or eight years," the deputy foreign minister stressed, adding that "there is no decision yet on this issue."

Moscow will accept any decision which meets the interests of most UN member-countries, the diplomat said. More than two-thirds of UN countries should find the solution acceptable, he added. "If one-third is against it, it may lead to a split, and we will get the opposite result," Gatilov said. "Then, the future of UN will be in question," he concluded.